Habitat specialisation controls ectomycorrhizal fungi above the treeline in the European Alps.

Alpine habitats are one of the most vulnerable ecosystems to environmental change, however, little information is known about the drivers of plant-fungal interactions in these ecosystems and their resilience to climate change. We investigated the influence of the main drivers of ectomycorrhizal (EM) fungal communities along elevation and environmental gradients in the alpine zone of the European Alps and measured their degree of specialisation using network analysis. We sampled ectomycorrhizas of Dryas octopetala, Bistorta vivipara and Salix herbacea, and soil fungal communities at 28 locations across five countries, from the treeline to the nival zone.

Altitudinal upwards shifts in fungal fruiting in the Alps.

Many plant and animal species are changing their latitudinal and/or altitudinal distributions in response to climate change, but whether fungi show similar changes is largely unknown. Here, we use historical fungal fruit body records from the European Alps to assess altitudinal changes in fungal fruiting between 1960 and 2010. We observe that many fungal species are fruiting at significantly higher elevations in 2010 compared to 1960, and especially so among soil-dwelling fungi.

European mushroom assemblages are darker in cold climates.

Thermal melanism theory states that dark-colored ectotherm organisms are at an advantage at low temperature due to increased warming. This theory is generally supported for ectotherm animals, however, the function of colors in the fungal kingdom is largely unknown. Here, we test whether the color lightness of mushroom assemblages is related to climate using a dataset of 3.

Open-source data reveal how collections-based fungal diversity is sensitive to global change.

Premise Of The Study: Fungal diversity (richness) trends at large scales are in urgent need of investigation, especially through novel situations that combine long-term observational with environmental and remotely sensed open-source data.

Methods: We modeled fungal richness, with collections-based records of saprotrophic (decaying) and ectomycorrhizal (plant mutualistic) fungi, using an array of environmental variables across geographical gradients from northern to central Europe. Temporal differences in covariables granted insight into the impacts of the shorter- versus longer-term environment on fungal richness.

Explaining European fungal fruiting phenology with climate variability.

Here we assess the impact of geographically dependent (latitude, longitude, and altitude) changes in bioclimatic (temperature, precipitation, and primary productivity) variability on fungal fruiting phenology across Europe. Two main nutritional guilds of fungi, saprotrophic and ectomycorrhizal, were further separated into spring and autumn fruiters. We used a path analysis to investigate how biogeographic patterns in fungal fruiting phenology coincided with seasonal changes in climate and primary production.

Ecology of Alpine Macrofungi - Combining Historical with Recent Data.

Historical datasets of living communities are important because they can be used to document creeping shifts in species compositions. Such a historical data set exists for alpine fungi. From 1941 to 1953, the Swiss geologist Jules Favre visited yearly the region of the Swiss National Park and recorded the occurring fruiting bodies of fungi >1 mm (so-called "macrofungi") in the alpine zone.

Phylogenetic and phenotypic characterisation of Sirococcus castaneae comb. nov. (synonym Diplodina castaneae), a fungal endophyte of European chestnut.

In this paper we resolve the taxonomic status of the fungus Diplodina castaneae (Ascomycetes, Diaporthales, Gnomoniaceae) which occurs on the European chestnut (Castanea sativa) as endophyte and as the causal agent of Javart disease. Specimens from Switzerland, Spain, and Azerbaijan were sequenced at five nuclear loci (β-tubulin, EF-1α, ITS, LSU, and RPB2). Phylogenies were inferred to place D.

Introducing Mushroom Fruiting Patterns from the Swiss National Poisons Information Centre.

Changes in the ecology of macrofungi are poorly understood, not only because much of their life cycle is hidden belowground, but also because experiments often miss real-world complexity and most fruitbody inventories are limited in space and time. The National Poisons Information Centre 'Tox Info Suisse' provides countrywide 24hours/7days medical advice in case of poisonings since 1966. Here, we introduce a total of 12,126 mushroom-related phone calls that were received by Tox Info Suisse between 1966 and 2014.

A fungal perspective on conservation biology.

Hitherto fungi have rarely been considered in conservation biology, but this is changing as the field moves from addressing single species issues to an integrative ecosystem-based approach. The current emphasis on biodiversity as a provider of ecosystem services throws the spotlight on the vast diversity of fungi, their crucial roles in terrestrial ecosystems, and the benefits of considering fungi in concert with animals and plants. We reviewed the role of fungi in ecosystems and composed an overview of the current state of conservation of fungi.

Warming-induced shift in European mushroom fruiting phenology.

In terrestrial ecosystems, fungi are the major agents of decomposition processes and nutrient cycling and of plant nutrient uptake. Hence, they have a vital impact on ecosystem processes and the terrestrial carbon cycle. Changes in productivity and phenology of fungal fruit bodies can give clues to changes in fungal activity, but understanding these changes in relation to a changing climate is a pending challenge among ecologists.